Heat Check: The Falcons are warming up; Tech has the chills
Rookie Jacquizz Rodgers is offered a different point of view. (AP photo)
Our weekly Heat Check begins with a team that won a warm and fuzzy game in the warm and fuzzy city of … Detroit? (Just between us, sometimes these heat metaphors can get a bit strained.)
The Falcons: When they were trailing the Panthers a week ago, it was possible to look ahead and wonder if this gifted team could be 3-6 come Nov. 13. Not possible now. The Falcons are 4-3 with two bye weeks upcoming — one where they play nobody, the other where they travel to Indianapolis, which has become nobody without Peyton Manning — before they hunker down in the Dome for a three-week homestand. Heat Index: For a team that hasn’t hit full stride but has the worst of its schedule behind it, this is suddenly a hot commodity.
Julio Jones: He was supposed to be the missing piece. He has missed two games due to injury, and his team is 2-0. It was 2-3 with him playing. Heat Index: A hot rookie is in cold storage, and his team seems better for it. I don’t understand it, either.
Georgia Tech: Paul Johnson’s offense gained 768 yards and scored nine touchdowns in four quarters against Kansas. It has managed 507 yards and mustered three touchdowns in eight quarters against Virginia and Miami, neither of which is any great shakes. Heat Index: When you’re hot, you’re hot. Tech was, but now it’s not. And the schedule just gets tougher.
Georgia: It’s headed to Jacksonville. Bulldog fans love going to Jacksonville. Then the game begins, and they love it no more. But this year — stop if you’ve heard this a time or two — might be different. Heat Index: Georgia has won five in a row; Florida has lost three in a row. But last season the Bulldogs entered on a three-game run and the Gators on a three-game slide, and guess who prevailed.
Mark Richt: Should Georgia win Saturday, there’s a chance — a chance, I say — we won’t hear the words “hot seat” mentioned in connection with Mr. Cool again this season. Heat Index: Every Georgia-Florida game is huge, but for this coach, this one might be the biggest yet.
The Braves: They have a new hitting coach. He’s Greg Walker. He’s not to be confused with Harry (The Hat) Walker, who was a hitting coach of some renown and who starred as the manager of Jim Bouton’s Houston Astros in “Ball Four.” But I digress. In even bigger news, the Braves announced their new hitting coach will have an assistant. Heat Index: Guess Larry Parrish was pretty hot item if it takes two men to replace him.
The Hawks: They’re locked out. The sale of the team hasn’t been approved. Games have been canceled and Josh Smith hasn’t been traded and Zaza Pachulia is about to go play in Turkey, and you know what? I haven’t heard anybody say, “Boy, I miss the Hawks.” Heat Index: Indifference can be the coldest cut of all.
By Mark Bradley
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205 comments Add your comment
What?
October 24th, 2011
10:36 am
Funny, GT is still ranked higher than Miami.
Me and my Friend
October 24th, 2011
10:37 am
Me: What was that – it rushed by so quickly I couldn’t tell what it was…………………
My Friend: That was GT flying out of the top 25……………..possibly the top 50…………….
Me: Oh yeah I remember seeing that in years past………………
My Friend: Yes it has become a normal event every year after they finish playing the Sisters of the Blind…………
StateSucks
October 24th, 2011
10:38 am
GA State: Colder than Bill Curry’s career.
John
October 24th, 2011
10:43 am
If the Falcons go to Indianapolis thinking they are playing nobody, they will end up being the nobodies. The better team doesn’t always win, especially when it thinks the weaker team is a bunch of nobodies. I hope Smitty finds a way to get the team to take this game seriously.
GTBob
October 24th, 2011
10:43 am
Funny, GT is still ranked higher than Miami.
After the top 5, the rankings are pretty much a meaningless list of teams in order by the number of losses they have and when they lost.
Falhawk
October 24th, 2011
10:44 am
#1 we better not trade josh smith…….#2 y am I the only one saying Bret Grimes is a shut down cornere
GIVE ME A BREAK
October 24th, 2011
10:44 am
GEORGIA TECH will be just fine. When they come back,dawgs, don’t get in the way. Maybe CPJ finally sees that he’s not a ST coach. Defense had another good game. Can’t wait for Saturday night at BDS. ” RELOAD YELLOW JACKETS “
GIVE ME A BREAK
October 24th, 2011
10:48 am
Enter your comments here
GIVE ME A BREAK
October 24th, 2011
10:49 am
GT will be just fine. ” RELOAD YELLOW JACKETS “
GIVE ME A BREAK
October 24th, 2011
10:50 am
TESTING 123
Reality
October 24th, 2011
10:50 am
BRADLEY – With all of the other teams here that you reported on, please explain why you single out Tech for a negative headline????????????
EW
October 24th, 2011
10:51 am
The Hawks and the NBA could go away and I would never miss them.
Yes Falhawk
October 24th, 2011
10:51 am
You are the only one saying Grimes is a shut down CORNERE
Reality
October 24th, 2011
10:52 am
BRADLEY – With all of the other teams that you report on here, please explain why the headline must be a negatvie headline about Tech?
I look forward to your response.
JB
October 24th, 2011
10:52 am
If I had to spend a week in jail or a week watching NBA games, of course I would take jail. Johnson has a horrible team at Tech. Gaily left him a stable of NFL type talent and now he has little Div 1 talent.
Tech will be a 7-5,8-4 type team forever under Johnson. Dawgs had better sweep the rest, but Richt has lowered expectations such that beating Vandy gets most excited. We are right there with Tech I’m afraid. Lord help us if we represent the East in the Dome. The Richt lovers will see just were we are against LSU….But I’m not thinking Bama can beat them….LSU will kill us.
Najeh Davenpoop
October 24th, 2011
10:55 am
“Julio Jones: He was supposed to be the missing piece. He has missed two games due to injury, and his team is 2-0. It was 2-3 with him playing. Heat Index: A hot rookie is in cold storage, and his team seems better for it. I don’t understand it, either.”
Not Julio’s fault, but the Falcons have stopped trying to air it out and have gone back to the ball control scheme that works best for them over the last two weeks. The Falcons function best when they rely more on the run than the pass and control time of possession.
JB
October 24th, 2011
10:57 am
The NBA problem is that every games looks just alike and you only need to watch the last 3 minutes to see anything meaningful….and if you miss the NBA and no defense, go to any inner city park. And they can save some money by getting rid of the coach’s. They don’t need them. Most just guys wearing 2,000 suits waving their arms and doing nothing.
StingerSplash
October 24th, 2011
10:59 am
Who are these Hawks of whom you speak? Are they akin to Atlanta’s other extinct bird, the Thrashers?
Yeah, how ’bout some love for the No. 1 team in the nation residing in Georgia, the Georgia Southern Eagles, led by one of the nicest guys in the world, Jeff Monken.
I trust PJ will get it figured out at The Flats forthwith.
y3ll0wjacket
October 24th, 2011
11:00 am
Unfortunately…TechRon is right on. If the Jackets have any pride, they figure out how to win two more regular season games this year with one being Duke. How bad would the Athens folks feel if UGA beats Florida but loses to Tech? Sip that scenario with your coffee this morning.
Actually I'm Hot
October 24th, 2011
11:01 am
What’s the deal with the hurt fullback Mughailli (SP)? I haven’t heard anything. And no, I will NEVER miss the NBA.
JB
October 24th, 2011
11:03 am
Dawgs losing to Tech is a real possibility. The games have been close the last three years. Refs,mistakes and bad luck always come into play.
eagleboy404
October 24th, 2011
11:04 am
lets talk about ga-southern these boys are 7-0 running the same offense as GT idk what there issues are but we are rolling in statesboro and g-state fans please shut up and shit down you cant even compare to us, when we play alabama i promise we will have a better showing then you guys did.
GTBob
October 24th, 2011
11:08 am
Najeh Davenpoop, you are right on the money about the Falcons. Our offense works better with a good pass/run split. Matt Ryan threw the ball 47 times against Chicago and Tampa Bay. We lost both of those. He threw it 42 times against Seattle and we almost lost that game too. Michael Turners three best games were the last two games and the Philadelphia game. Those were also our three best wins. The more we pass it the more we are going to lose. We need to work Julio into the offense better when he comes back without losing that balance.
murfdawg
October 24th, 2011
11:18 am
JB—I would love for the Dawgs to get a chance to get “killed” by LSU. That would mean we beat fl and AU. Of course, Bama is probably the only team in the country that would not get killed by LSU. But I think LSU will beat Bama. They look faster and meaner than Bama. Bama is really good, but LSU is really damn good. As long as we keep the old ball sack out of the dome, I’ll be happy.
Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired
October 24th, 2011
11:19 am
The NBA may not play games this year……AND….WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH THAT????? WHO CARES???
AND…Mularkey’s play calling is still poor……I agree that he doesn’t know how to utilize his players (Snelling, Quizz, Meier). The majority of the passing plays are thrown towards the sideline leaving little room for YAC. Hopefully some other team will come and get Mularkey this coming off-season and that will give TD and Smith an opportunity to find a “REAL OC” that can make the Falcons offense click on all cylinders.
zgoldat
October 24th, 2011
11:25 am
I love football. However, Mark, I miss the Hawks.
BG
October 24th, 2011
11:27 am
Clemson will beat Tech by 4 touchdowns.
Wow Jb
October 24th, 2011
11:28 am
So you are saying that you hope we don’t make it to the SEC Championship? Which team would you like UGA to lose to.. Florida, Kentucky, or Auburn? A true fan will support the team no matter who we play. I would love for us to make it to the SEC Championship game and play whatever team makes it out of the West. But I guess that would mean Mark Richt is 10-2 and you still want to fire him right? Give me a break. Support your team and your coach. Hope he still has the job at the end of the year because that means that we had a good season.
Also, nobody expected UGA to beat LSU in 05 did they?
Mike FR
October 24th, 2011
11:29 am
Where are all the “fans” saying Turner’s lost a step, Ryan’s the worst qb in the nfc south?? … Talk about bandwagoners…. Great game, not because the execution was perfect, but because it was good enough for us to overcome mistakes both on O and D. Go falcons!!!
kreedham
October 24th, 2011
11:40 am
Did you know that if Georgia Southern gets by Wofford (should be their only tough game left) and Alabama gets by LSU then on November 19th we could have the 2 #1’s playing (different divisions of course)
Georgia State fans be patient. It will be more fun for you when you join a conference (is that nesxt year) and are actually playing for something. The team iwll get better!
Wish Tech or Georgia State would schedule Georgia Southern.in Atlanta!
BP85
October 24th, 2011
11:49 am
I don’t know what the big surprise is in Tech’s fall from the hype they got from beating a few cupcakes early in the year. They’ll have some more notches in the loss column over the next five weeks. Tech sux and so does their fan-base. Go Dawgs!!
GIVE ME A BREAK
October 24th, 2011
11:49 am
kreedham, I’d like to see that two. Rotate between the two each year. It would be fun watching the two TO’s against each other.
Ted M
October 24th, 2011
11:53 am
Indy is gonna win 1 game this year and it will be at home. The Falcons better bring their best.
JROLL1
October 24th, 2011
11:53 am
WHEN TECH’S OFFENSE IS WORKING RIGHT, IT’S UNSTOPPABLE!, BUT, YOU NEED BALANCE, A PASSING GAME TO WIN CONSISTENTLY….TECH DOES NOT HAVE A PASSING ATTACK!
Ted M
October 24th, 2011
11:55 am
Turner has lost a step even though he’s had a couple of good games.
ABOUT TO BE 18 OUT OF 21
October 24th, 2011
11:55 am
mark….seriously…yet again you drink the athens kool aid? every year you predict the gators will lose and every year we show just how overrated the dogs are. i guess homers never learn.
@85
October 24th, 2011
11:56 am
For sure, the dogs did not beat any cupcakes at the first of the season…they waited until they had two losses.LOL
1eyedJack
October 24th, 2011
11:57 am
James Naismith would hate basketball today. They should raise the baskets to 15 feet and make it interesting. Haven’t watched a complete Hawks game since Bird and the Celtics got the best of Nique.
Tech is scared to schedule Ga. Southern, they prefer the Western Carolinas and the Gardner-Webbs. No drama. Plus they couldn’t pay the asking price.
rak
October 24th, 2011
11:57 am
Enter your comments here
OC
October 24th, 2011
11:58 am
Braves: This WS winner will bring about another Bobby Cox comparison. If Texas wins, add another manager to tie Cox with one WS title. If St Louis wins, Torre will far surpass Cox in his postseason accomplishments where they count- WS titles. In the end, Cox will go down as a master of the regular season and a total flop as manager in the postseason.
Falcons: Progress but far from winning anything big. I like Matt Ryan’s fight but don’t know if he has passing skills to make Dome the speed advantage it should be.
UGA: SEC championship appearance would save Richts job but would say nothing about program. SEC East is weaker than ever before and SEC West representative (LSU/Alabama) will win game handily. UGA will suffer another 5 years of above average results from a coach who is paid like Saban, Miles, Meyer, Spurrier, and others who have won NCs.
Hawks: On thin ice with mismanagement and poor history draft/free agent signings. JJ contract will take years to overcome and Smoove should have been sent packing years ago (another Andruw Jones”lazy and won’t listen” type ).
GT: On pace with expectations for a school known more for the prowess of its graduates versus anything done on a court or field.
rak
October 24th, 2011
12:00 pm
hey folks…….falcons still not getting much attention as a true contender. Do you see the falcons as contenders if they beat the Saints in 3 weeks??
GT97
October 24th, 2011
12:05 pm
Finally, my Jackets are who we thought they were. PJ has got to get his special teams play under control. Defense is finally getting somewhat of a pulse, but offense has become vanilla. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – When PJ was hired, I said he would eventually run this program into the ground because he will not be able to recruit. I was hoping he would evolve into a Div – 1 coach, but his hardheadedness is going to send him packing unless he can tweak his scheme.
@crosseyedjack
October 24th, 2011
12:17 pm
Yea, Tech tried to get Coastal Carolina…but they were booked.
Najeh Davenpoop
October 24th, 2011
12:19 pm
I am about as big a Hawks fan as anyone who posts here, and even I won’t miss the NBA until the NFL season is over. They are making a huge mistake by allowing this lockout to cut into the season.
Stepchild
October 24th, 2011
12:23 pm
I love basketball & I love the NBA…but the NBA & players are being silly. Most hoop fans can enjoy the College game just as much & the NFL games makes their lockout go unnoticed.
oldfart
October 24th, 2011
12:39 pm
Tech did ok against the powder puffs but reality is a female dog.
I’m still on the fence on FL vs GA. Unlike others on here I’m more hesitant on the defense than the offense. Nice numbers against powder puffs don’t count, see Tech above.
Jury is still out on the Falcons for me as well. I haven’t forgotten when all of the money (such that it was from Snuffy), was put into the Bartkowski basket with nothing left for an offensive line. Look where that got them. The defense has its moments and played with flashes of brilliance mixed with some help from Stafford yesterday. Grimes played well but given the obvious height advantage why Detroit never threw the fade to Johnson is a mystery to me.
Who is Josh Smith? As I’ve said before I am a big fan of the sport of basketball but not of a version of the game that allows deviations of the fundamental rules especially for the chosen ones. The officiating is gamed so badly that like rasslin’ it is a show, not a game.
IPTAY
October 24th, 2011
12:41 pm
@TechRon You are right on da money
IPTAY
October 24th, 2011
12:43 pm
CLEMSON=900LB GORILLA
Kramer
October 24th, 2011
12:45 pm
Who needs the NBA when you can watch college basketball. Where they actually play hard, listen to their coaches and understand the fundementals of the game. Then they go to the NBA and become all of the opposite of what I listed.
balismith
October 24th, 2011
12:46 pm
still wonder what a hitting coach really does…bring out a bucket of balls …make sure the line is moving along so everyone gets their pregame swings..turn on cd to watch film with hitter if things have gone south…wonder if chipper will listen to anyone but his dad…wonder if any of the players really listen or remember what the hitting coach says when the game starts